代詞精析:先行項(xiàng)為通性名詞時(shí),代詞的選擇
大家在英語(yǔ)學(xué)習(xí)的過(guò)程中,經(jīng)常會(huì)跟外國(guó)人打交道,假如遇到以為美國(guó)媽媽抱著不到一歲的寶寶,在不知道寶寶性別的情況下,你該怎么向這位媽媽問(wèn)候?qū)殞毮兀?/p>
這就涉及到當(dāng)先行項(xiàng)為通性名詞時(shí),代詞的選擇了:
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英語(yǔ)中有一些通性名詞(Noun of Common Gender),如baby,child,infant,doctor,patient,lawyer, engineer,teacher,student,scholar,speaker,secretary,scientist,customer,parent,person,等,既可以是男性,也可以是女性。當(dāng)這類名詞以其單數(shù)形式表示類指時(shí),通常用陽(yáng)性代詞或相應(yīng)的限定詞來(lái)指代。
例如:
An instructor should offer his students challenging projects.
若要避免這種用法(比如受到女權(quán)主義者的反對(duì)時(shí)),可以改用復(fù)數(shù)形式,或者避免使用代詞或限定詞。
例如:
Instructor should offer their students challenging projects.
An instructor should offer challenging projects to the students.
在法律文書(shū)等正式語(yǔ)體中,還可以用he or she, his or her 來(lái)指代單數(shù)通性名詞。
例如:
An instructor should offer his or her students challenging projects.
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當(dāng)先行項(xiàng)為baby,child,infant等通性名詞而說(shuō)話人不知其性別或者不必過(guò)問(wèn)其性別時(shí),可用中性代詞it;但若說(shuō)話人知道其性別(比如說(shuō)話人是孩子的父母),則必然要根據(jù)孩子的性別來(lái)選擇代詞。
例如:
There is a baby in the pram. Why, it’s crying.
Baby is crying in the pram. She must be hungry.
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看完了貼心的小編整理的要點(diǎn),以后就不用擔(dān)心遇到這個(gè)問(wèn)題再尷尬啦~